The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-24
housekeeping Pests.

Complaints are made from various
sections of band of baking powder
tramp9 whose tricks upon unsuepect'
ing housekeepers seem to partakc very
much of the nature of confidence OPP
erations. The band is composed of
women, although employed and di-
rected by an agent of the other sex,
and their methods Of procedure, rs
explained by several ladies who have
been viclimized, is as follows: Obtain
ING access to the kitchen, they intro
duce the subject of baking powders,
inquiring the kind used in the family.
Being shown the can, perhaps, q fresh,
full one. they volunteer 10 lest it to
ascertain its qualities. Their "test"
consists in placing the can on n hot
stove or over lamp or gas jet, or in
mixing the baking powder with water
both hot and cold. If the baking
powder is good for anything
the heat will, of course,
expel the gas, which, being ammonia
cal or carbonic, IS apparent TO the sense
of smell. The claim is then made that
this odor Indicates something detri-
mental, although. as matter of fact.
baking powder that would give OIL
no gas when subjected to heat would
be without leavening power ana value
less. They will also mix the baking
powder given them with water. If
pure il eflervesces quickly. The bak-
ing powder they peddle being similarly
mixed foams up slowly like yeast,
standing perhaps, over the top of the
glass. This they claim rs evidence OF
superiority, whereas il is the exhibit
ton of trick only, their baking pow
der having been specially prepared TO
make this test by the addition of flour,
gum or albumen. Ii is sure evidence
of adultcration. OF course the object
OF these fraudulent tricks is to destroy
confidence in all other kinds of bak-
ing powder, and to sell the particular
brand for which the women are trav-
cling
Were this the whole of the opera
ton, housekeepers would not often be
deceived. Every intelligent person
knows that baking powder is not made
to be used in this way, but in cooking
where its action is eutire.y different
from that produced by dry heat or by
mixture with water alone. The chief
object of this jugglcry is to destroy
tho baking powder given for testing:
or by heating il TO drive off its leavcn-
ing gases, and so weaken il that when
used 1t VIII fail 10 work. At the next
baking there is heavy food, of course,
and the tramp probably gets the
credit of having told the hous ckeeper
valuable fact, instead OF having
.poiIed her baking powder, as was
actually the case. The average tramp"
will, in this way, destroy from fifty
to seventy-five pounds OF bakingpow-
der day.
a second method of spelling for
use the baking powder in a kitchen
where they are not permitted to ex-
pertinent with it, is by dexterously
throwing in the can small quantity
of salt, soda or powdered lime. Again
should there chance to be no baking
powder i'm the house, the operators
will produce, of the kind used by the
family, sample that has been pur-
posely adultcrated or "doctored" to
make such an exhibit as they desire
Under the so-called test.
The only way to protect our food
from being contaminated by tramps
of this kind is to turn all persons who
wish or attempt TO tamper with 1t un-
tremendously from the door, and to
use those articles only which expert
cncc has proved satisfactory, or the
official te-,s have established as pure
anil xVlole-uma ldW